EPISODE THREE
On the third day, the capital hosted an international conference.
Delegates arrived from Europe, Asia, America and other parts of the world.
Luxury cars filled the streets.
Hotels were completely booked.
Inside the conference hall, leaders spoke about development.
“Partnership.”
“Investment.”
“Democracy.”
“Progress.”
“Mutual benefit.”
The words sounded beautiful.
But in a private room upstairs, another meeting was taking place.
A government minister sat across from an international investor.
“We need money for the election,” the minister whispered.
The investor smiled.
“And what do we receive?”
The minister opened a folder.
Mining concessions.
Tax exemptions.
Land rights.
A telecommunications contract.
The investor nodded.
The agreement was made.
Outside, journalists photographed the leaders shaking hands.
Handshake for the cameras.
Contract for the powerful.
Burden for the people.
That night, Mama Esi wrote in her diary:
“The greatest danger to Africa is not always the foreigner. Sometimes it is the African who discovers that selling his own people can make him wealthy.”
She closed the diary.
Then she heard something outside.
Children were singing.
Their voices were weak but hopeful.
For the first time, she smiled.
Perhaps the story was not finished.